Container having a safety stopper

ABSTRACT

This invention consists of a glass or plastic container of any desired size and shape having a vertically disposed neck in which is located a peripheral flange that is triangular in crosssection and whose short side is a horizontally disposed ledge on which is placed the horizontally disposed disk of a stopper that cannot be removed from the neck of the aforesaid container without the use of a key, as will hereinafter be described. The hollow stopper which is made of flexible plastic or the like has a basic side configuration of a deformed hexagon.

United States Patent 1191 Loup 14 1 June 5, 1973 541 CONTAINER HAVING ASAFETY 3,473,681 10/1969 Hall .21s/9 STOPPER 265,007 9/1882 Bennett..2l5/55 [76] Inventor: Raymond Loup, 200 Jameson FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS Avenue Toronto Omano Canada 504,063 7/1951 Belgium 215/52[22] Filed: Oct. 12, 1971 [21] pp No; 187,944 Primary ExammerDonald F.Norton 4 57 ABSTRACT [52] 215/31 37 Thisinvention consists of a glass orplastic container of any desired size and shape having a vertically [51]Int. (J. 129/16 disposed neck in which is located a peripheral flange[58] held of Search 4 that is triangular in cross-section and whoseshort side 215/55 220/245 60 R is a horizontally disposed ledge on whichis placed the horizontally disposed disk of a stopper that cannot beReferences end I removed from the neck of the aforesaid container TE PAwithout the use of a key, as will hereinafter be I UNI D STATES TENTSdescribed. The hollow stopper which is made of flexi- 1,262,387 4/1918Petschel 215/55 UX ble plastic or the like has a basic sideconfiguration of 2,848,130 8/1958 Jesnig ..215/47 X a deformed hexagonl24,277 3/1872 Marsh ....215/55 UX 3,362,556 1/1968 Waldrum ..2l5/9 X 3Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUH 5 I975 INVEN'IOR RAYMOND M. LOUPFIG.6

This invention relates to bottles, jars, and any other kind of containerhaving a relatively small opening that is closed by means of a stopperor the like; more particularly, to a container whose closure is madedifficult if not impossible to open by people unfamiliar with itsstructure.

Both newspapers, hospitals, and doctors, as well as police and firerescue squad records contain countless reports of children and olderpersons requiring treatment of doctors and/or hospitals as a result ofthe accidental taking of poisons and the like because they could openthe wrong container too easily.

Although I personally call my invention a child-proof container, Ihereinafter as well as in the title of this specification and itsappended claims, call the invention a container having a safety stopperas I do not wish to limit its use to only places where there may bechildren. Teenage and adult persons as well as children can be harmed byaccidentally taking the contents of a container of harmful material.

It is for this reason that the principal object of this invention is toprovide a container having a safety stopper or the like that cannot beloosened or removed unless one knows its method of assembly, therebypreventing an unauthorized person from being accidentally harmed by thecontents of the container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a container having asafety stopper of the character herein described that will prevent achild from accidentally opening the container which may have some formof harmful material therein that would make the child sick or evenproduce death.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a container havinga safety stopper that can be mass produced in any size and from anymaterial.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will no doubt appear tothose experienced in the art as well as to others upon the reading ofthe following specification and its appended claims when the reading isdone in connection with an examination of the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a typical container with the stopperremoved, made according to this specification.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a part of this invention, takensubstantially along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, and viewed in the directionindicated by the arrows.

FIG. 3 is a portion of a typical exploded pictorial view of the neck ofa container manufactured according to this specification and showing thestopper and its locking device.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a typical neck of a container having thisinvention incorporated therein along with the stopper and its key inplace.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a typical neck of a container showing thestopper in a raised position FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of onewall of the neck of a container and a portion of the stopper.

\ FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of one wall of theneck of a typical container having an optional form of this inventionincorporated therein.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of one wall of a neckof a typical container having still another form of this inventionincorporated therein.

In the several views of this invention, like parts of the invention areindicated by like reference numbers.

Directing ones attention first to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the accompanyingdrawing it will be seen that this inven tion consists of the neck 10 ofa container of any desired shape and size and material. However, theinvention is particularly adapted to a glass or plastic container.

The aforesaid neck 10 of the container is provided with an integrallyformed internal peripheral flange ll that is triangular in cross-sectionwith the short side of the triangle being the horizontally disposedledge 12 on which rests the disk 13 of the stopper 14 when the stop- 3per is in place in the neck of the container, indicated in FIG. 1 by thereference number 15.

The aforesaid stopper 14, which is hollow, has the basic sideconfiguration of a deformed hexagon, as one can see by looking at FIGS.2, 4, and 5 of the accompanying drawing. The often-mentioned stopper ismade of flexible plastic or the like in order that it may be completelywithdrawn from the container, as has been done in FIG. 3 of thedrawings. The stopper is made integrally with the aforesaid disk 13. Thedisk 13 is provided with an elongated opening 16 in the center thereoffor the reception of the crossbar 17 that is integrally formed on thelower end of the vertically disposed stem 18 of the key 19 which has aring 20 integrally formed on the upper end of the aforesaid stem 18.

Attention is now called to FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawing where it is seenthat there are herein illustrated two ways in which the neck 10 of anyordinary container may be fitted with a liner 21 having atriangular-shaped flange 22 that is equivalent to the aforesaid flangell of the container 15. The aforesaid liner 21, that is illustrated inFIG. 7 of the accompanying drawing, is pressfitted into the neck of thecontainer. Some form of cementor glue may be used to provide additionalsecurement of the liner in the neck of the container, if it is sodesired. The liner 22, illustrated in FIG. 8 of the drawing, is providedwith a hook-shaped upper edge 23 that fits down over the edge of theneck of the container.

The way in which this novel invention of a container having a safetystopper works is quite obvious to those experienced'in the art when theyhave examined FIG. 4 of the accompanying drawing. For the benefit ofthose less experienced in reading a patent drawing, the followingdescription of the way in which this invention is used is herein given.

When one desires to place the aforesaid stopper l4 in the neck of acontainer having the aforesaid flange 11 therein, all one has to do isto take the stopper 1 4 and push it down into the neck of the containeruntil the body of the stopper compresses and passes on down past theflange 1 l and the underside of the disk 13 rests on the horizontallydisposed ledge 12 of the flange. When it is desired to remove thestopper 14, all one has to do is to take the key 19 in hand and press itdownward so that the aforesaid bar 17 of the key will pass on throughthe aforesaid elongated opening 16 that is located in the center of thedisk 13 of the stopper 14, then turn the key 19 by its ring 20 so thatthe oftenmentioned bar 17 of the key is at right angle to the elongatedopening 16 in the stopper. Now, a firm pull upward on the aforesaid ring20 of the key 19 will pull the stopper from the neck of the container.

It will be seen that this invention can be adopted to any size and shapeof container that may be made of any.desired material. Obviously, thestopper cannot be removed without the use of the aforesaid key 19,therefore any child or other person not having a real need for thecontents of the container will be unable to open the same.

This novel invention will find countless uses in practically everyindustry, such as medicine, the bottling of cleaning materials,chemistry, and the like. Since the aforesaid stopper 14 and its disk 13are made of flexible plastic or thelike, the aforesaid elongated opening16 in the same will remain closed and will only open when the aforesaidbar 17 of the key 19 is pressed down through the same.

This invention is subject to any and all changes and- /or modificationsthat one may care to make in so long as the changes and/or modificationsall fall within the scope and intent of the appended claims.

What l now claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A container having a safety stopper of the character described,comprising a container of any desired 4 configuration having avertically disposed neck in which is located a peripheral flange adaptedto prevent a stopper from being pushed too far down into the container,said flange having a cross-section of a triangle 7 whose short side is ahorizontally disposed ledge on which a portion of a stopper rests whenthe said stopper is in the said neck of the said containen'and a stopperof flexible plastic or the like so configurated that-the said stoppercannot be removed without the use of a separate key that is adapted tobe pushed down through the said stopper, then rotated and then pulledupward when it is desired to remove the said stopper from the saidcontainer, the said stopper being hollow and'having the basicconfiguration of a deformed hexagon.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the saidstopper is integrally formed with a horizontally disposed disk having anelongated opening in the center thereof.

3. The invention of claim 2, wherein the said key comprises'ahorizontally disposed cross-bar that is intestem whose upper endterminates in a ring.

1. A container having a safety stopper of the character described,comprising a container of any desired configuration having a verticallydisposed neck in which is located a peripheral flange adapted to preventa stopper from being pushed too far down into the container, said flangehaving a crosssection of a triangle whose short side is a horizontallydisposed ledge on which a portion of a stopper rests when the saidstopper is in the said neck of the said container; and a stopper offlexible plastic or the like so configurated that the said stoppercannot be removed without the use of a separate key that is adapted tobe pushed down through the said stopper, then rotated and then pulledupward when it is desired to remove the said stopper from the saidcontainer, the said stopper being hollow and having the basicconfiguration of a deformed hexagon.
 2. The invention of claim 1,wherein the upper surface of the said stopper is integrally formed witha horizontally disposed disk having an elongated opening in the centerthereof.
 3. The invention of claim 2, wherein the said key comprises ahorizontally disposed cross-bar that is integrally formed on the lowerend of a vertically disposed stem whose upper end terminates in a ring.